Green Britain

A survey published this week reveals that over eighty per cent of farmers in the UK would like to take advantage of the feed-in tariffs by installing Solar PV panels on roofs of agricultural buildings and structures within the next three years.

Unfortunately, almost half of farmers questioned did not realise the full extent of the feed-in tariff payments and were not aware that payment is made for all energy generated whether consumed or exported back to the grid. The payment is also index-linked and guaranteed for 25 years which ensures returns on the initial investment.

Chief Advisor of Renewable Energy and Climate Change for the National Farmers' Union, Dr. Jonathan Scurlock, said, "These findings certainly reflect what our members have been saying. Agricultural and horticultural buildings present ideal platforms for solar PV, and small-to-medium sized roof-mounted systems are likely to be an attractive investment. It's hugely encouraging to see our farming industry become stronger through the generation of power, and helping this country reduce its reliance on fossil fuels."

However, while the survey did outline the success of the FiT, it did also highlight farmers’ relatively poor understanding of how the subsidy mechanism works. Only 55.2% understood to what extent they could actually earn from the FiT while 25.4% thought payment was only for generation, or export (19.4%).